2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bitson
Derived from the Old English words "bita" (biter) and "sunu" (son), it likely referred to an irascible or quarrelsome person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bitson. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bitson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bitson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bitson
The surname BITSON is believed to have originated in England during the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from the Old English words "bite" meaning a small piece of land and "ton" meaning a village or settlement. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a small hamlet or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1275, where a Richard Byteson is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279 also list a William Biteson as a landowner in the area.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms such as Byteson, Bittson, and Bitteson, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 recorded a John Byteson in the village of Keighley.
During the 16th century, the BITSON surname spread across various parts of England. In 1567, a Thomas Bittson is documented in the Parish Registers of St. Giles Cripplegate, London. Around the same time, a William Byteson was recorded in the Wills and Inventories of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1583.
Notable individuals with the surname BITSON include:
1. Robert Bitson (c. 1570 - 1640), an English merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire.
2. Elizabeth Bitson (1625 - 1692), a Puritan author and poet from Norfolk.
3. John Bitson (1675 - 1731), a prominent clockmaker and member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in London.
4. Samuel Bitson (1712 - 1786), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Mary Bitson (1789 - 1864), a renowned philanthropist and advocate for women's education in Yorkshire.
While the BITSON surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout its long existence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bitson
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bitson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bitson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 78
- Black or African American19.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.8% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bitson
Bitson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-18 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,247 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+12 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,016 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 27,247 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 11,016 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bitson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #156,044 | #145,028 | 7.1% |
| Count | 104 | 116 | 11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bitson bearers went from 104 to 116 (+11.5% change). The surname moved up 11,016 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bitson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bitson?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bitson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bitson?
Bitson ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Bitson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bitson.
Has Bitson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bitson went from 104 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 12 (+11.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bitson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bitson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bitson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (19.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bitson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bitson mean?
Derived from the Old English words "bita" (biter) and "sunu" (son), it likely referred to an irascible or quarrelsome person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bitson (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bitson?
If you just want to know how many people are called Bitson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.